About AYEA's Work

AYEA is a program of The Alaska Center Education Fund that inspires and trains rural and urban Alaskan youth ages 13-18 to become leaders in the climate justice movement. AYEA provides high-quality leadership training opportunities and supports youth-led community action projects and campaigns.

AYEA was founded in 1998 by three teens from Kodiak and three teens from Anchorage, and has since engaged over 5,000 Alaskan youth through an array of local and statewide campaigns and projects. Youth in AYEA come from a diverse array of cultural, geographic, economic, and social backgrounds.

AYEA is committed to a youth-led model, in which teens choose the issues AYEA works on, and teens are the leaders in all our campaigns and projects. Adult mentors and staff provide essential support to help the teens learn the skills they need to successfully reach their project goals.

AYEA recruits statewide for two major leadership summits each school year; the Youth Organizer Summit in the fall and the Civics and Conservation Summit in the spring. Visit each link for more information about both summits and for information on how to apply! We accept all youth no matter your background and encourage participation from those who have no prior experience in leadership.

Contact us

If you have any questions about our programs or would like to learn more, please contact our AYEA Program Manager Leila Pyle at [email protected].